POLICE in Rio believe that Olympic Council of Ireland President Pat Hickey is involved in the Rio ticketing scandal.
Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, the fraud division of tpolice in Rio confirmed they arrested Hickey, 71, this morning.
The arrest took place at 10am GMT (6am local time in Rio).
The officers went to Mr Hickey's hotel room in the Barra district, however he was not in his room.
According to police, Mr Hickey's wife said Mr Hickey had already left for Ireland.
However, police later found Mr Hickey in another room.
Shortly after his arrest, Mr Hickey complained to officers that he felt unwell and cited an existing heart condition.
As a precaution, Mr Hickey was taken to a hospital in the Barra region where he remains.
At the press conference, police said they found evidence of emails and messages between Mr Hickey and Marcus Evans.
Mr Evans owns THG, the sports hospitality group who are at the centre of the Rio ticketing scandal.
As reported by The Irish Post, Irishman Kevin Mallon, who is a director of THG, was arrested in Rio earlier this month attempting to illegally resell VIP tickets to the games. He was later charged with possession of false tickets, associating with criminals and touting.
Mallon, 36, was refused bail yesterday in a Rio court and remains in detention in the Brazilian city.
Arrest warrants were also issued yesterday for four other THG directors, including Marcus Evans.
The directors named in the arrest warrant are listed as British millionaire and owner of Ipswich Town football club and THG Marcus Evans, 52, Irishman David Patrick Gilmore, 35, British man Martin Studd, 49, and Dutchman Maarten van Os, 45.
Police confirmed that the four directors could not be detained as they have not entered Brazil in recent weeks, but would be arrested should they attempt to do so.
At the press conference earlier today, police confirmed that warrants had also been issued for three directors of Pro10, named as Michael Glynn, Ken Murray and Eamon Collins.
Pro10 is the authorised ticket reseller for the OCI.
Police have confirmed that they are examining OCI President Hickey's phone and that remains the centre of their investigation.
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